


Case #1 - Bad Clue

by Mistehri



Series: 「 Insider 」: Ode to Soonyoung & Jihoon [12]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Angst, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Crime Scenes, Eventual Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forensics, M/M, Mentioned Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Mentioned Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Mentioned Kim Mingyu, Mentioned Lee Chan | Dino, Mentioned Lee Seokmin | DK, Mentioned Yoon Jeonghan, Mild Gore, Murder Mystery, Partners in Crime, Stabbing, Swearing, Thriller, Weapons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:41:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26707651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistehri/pseuds/Mistehri
Summary: Kwon Soonyoung is a reporter who knows fuck all about solving crime scenes, so why is it that he’s been pulled to solve an unexpected case with none other than Detective Lee Jihoon, his high school sweetheart?Based on the latest GoSe episode.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: 「 Insider 」: Ode to Soonyoung & Jihoon [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944688
Comments: 4
Kudos: 82





	Case #1 - Bad Clue

**Author's Note:**

> My forensics class actually proved to be useful 😃
> 
> Anyway, this is more focused on the thriller aspect of things rather than the fluff (and you have to really squint for Verkwan here. Also, apologies in advance to Boo Seungkwan.)
> 
> Enjoy reading! ❤

The sound of soft classical music could be heard playing throughout the large mansion owned by none other than Chairman Boo Seungkwan, echoing throughout the long hallways and into the guest-filled rooms. Chatters from the guests could be heard from a mile away, laughter being shared in between gossips and stories, glasses clinking together as butlers walked around with trays neatly lined with kimbaps and wine glasses to serve to the prestigious people.

The party had started out so splendidly in the beginning, so Soonyoung doesn’t really know what went wrong. He’d been in the middle of deciding whether or not to go for the chocolate mousse or the strawberry tarts when the lights suddenly flickered out, leaving all of them in darkness.

The chatter had died down momentarily, instead quieting down into hushed whispers and frantic gasps. What once was an atmosphere filled with relaxation and joyous memories, is now filled with suspense as everyone waits for the power to come back on, or perhaps a word from Boo Seungkwan who’d been the one to host the party in the first place.

It takes a few moments, almost suspiciously too long for it to be a simple power outage, but just as soon as Soonyoung is about to make a move to leave the food table, the lights turn back on with a gentle whirl. 

Once again, the chatters began to fill the room, and if Soonyoung were a little less oblivious, he’d know that those talks weren’t as cheerful as before but rather, a little frightened instead. It isn’t until a scream pierces through the air does his head whip around to see what had happened.

All around him, the guests are moving away from what seems to be a limp body on the ground, faces slowly paling in color and harsh whispers of disbelief escaping their lips. The housekeepers rush around frantically, some requesting the guests to stay calm while others try to preserve the scene which was the center of attention.

By the office desk, crimson paints the expensive marble floor while a man lay immobile on his back in the middle of the cold flooring. His now lifeless eyes are wide open with dissipating fright as they stare emptily up at the ceiling, facial features beginning to become pliant as the moments of fright in the minutes prior go slack. His expensive black suit is stained with the same shade of crimson on the marble floor, the wound on his chest being the source of the slimy liquid. A scent smelling particularly of iron wafts around the room, overwhelming the smell of delicious foods instead and causing some of the guests to gag a little.

Soonyoung didn’t think such a nice night like this could go so wrong. He thought these types of things only happened in those murder mystery games and thriller movies. Of all his years of being a reporter, he didn’t think he’d ever have an opportunity — _not that he’d like to treat it as one_ — of seeing something as tragically horrendous as this. Perhaps it’s because he’s already seen similar types of things throughout his reporter career that it didn’t really phase him. Rather, he could feel something thrilling brewing in his stomach, and the loud beating of his heart was a rather nice change of pace from his considerably mundane life.

Usually in cases like these, there are three people involved: the victim, the culprit, and the detective.

Obviously, the victim is there, laying in his own pool of blood. Initially, Soonyoung couldn’t believe he was staring at the dead body of Chairman Boo Seungkwan, but one step closer to the body immediately made him step back, feeling something gurgling in his stomach as the stench of iron filled his nostrils. He supposes he should be a tad bit more used to this by now, but every time he smells the iron from the red liquid, he can’t bring himself to stomach it.

Boo Seungkwan had a tragic death, though swift and silent, and Soonyoung glances around at the frightened faces of the guests.

The culprit, of course, is nowhere to be found. Perhaps they have already long blended themselves into the crowd, probably wearing a shocked facade to hide the evil within. Whoever was brave enough to hold a grudge against Chairman Boo Seungkwan has been calculating his every move very carefully, opting for just the right moment to strike, and they’ve succeeded.

Soonyoung thinks it’s quite scary actually, his tiger eyes peering around discreetly to catch any sort of conspicuous movement in a futile attempt to catch the culprit.

The detective is there, fortunately, but he is not who Soonyoung expected it to be.

With his suit jacket covering his nose, a young man walks over to the body and carefully crouches down a foot away from the pool of blood. He’s careful not to get his Salvatore Ferragamo velvet loafers stained as his calculative, sharp eyes take in the body and the wound. Then, standing up, he reaches into his inside pocket and pulls out a small, 35 millimeter camera, proceeding to take pictures of the crime scene as the housekeepers attempt to keep the crowd at bay from disturbing the scene before the police arrive.

His hair is neatly combed back, a few strands falling out of place as though he’d been in a hurry to start investigating as soon as possible. Soonyoung is certain the detective was expecting the police to hold him back along with the rest of the guests in order to investigate the body, a plausible reason why he wasted no time in hurrying to the crime scene as quickly as possible. 

_What is he doing here?_ Soonyoung ponders, heart thudding in his chest.

It wasn’t quite that Soonyoung hadn’t expected a detective to be there, but he was more so surprised because he’d come to terms with said detective before.

Lee Jihoon is his name. They were high school sweethearts, with Soonyoung having pined over the detective for three years prior before they entered the teen life. It had only taken a year for him to properly confess to Jihoon, and he’d been rather surprised and very pleased to find out that the younger man reciprocated his feelings. By their second year of high school, they were both dating and heavily in love with each other but of course, some things aren’t always meant to last.

It was their third year of going to the same university together when Jihoon told him he had different dreams than he originally thought. He’d explained to Soonyoung that he’d taken an interest in forensics and case studies, and how he wished to abandon his original plan of music. Of course, Soonyoung understood. He didn’t pry on Jihoon’s thoughts too much because he knew the detective would tell him once he was ready.

However, changing dreams wasn’t entirely what Jihoon wanted. Soonyoung had been rather surprised to find out that Jihoon wanted to change his life altogether, ditch music for a more feasible career, study in the states because they’re said to have one of the best forensics courses, and make a living off of being the detective he now is. While Soonyoung wouldn’t have really minded any of that too much, it was Jihoon asking for a break from their relationship that he didn’t understand.

Jihoon had explained to him that long-distance relationships usually don’t work out, and while Soonyoung had argued that if they put in twice the amount of effort they did when they were still together, they could make it work. Jihoon, however, couldn’t see past the breaking up portion. He’d kindly asked for Soonyoung’s cooperation, because even he didn’t want to break up. It was necessary though, both so they wouldn’t part with ill feelings towards each other and for his new dreams.

Soonyoung didn’t want to. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he didn’t fight for their relationship? Then again, however, who is he to stop Jihoon from what he wants to do?

They’d parted in the airport during Soonyoung’s third year of university and Jihoon’s last. It was a mess of tears and snot — most of which came from Soonyoung, and some gentle cooing and reassurances from Jihoon that they can try again once he gets back from his studies in the states.

Now, seeing Jihoon in the flesh, living out his dreams as a detective — one of the best, at that — Soonyoung thinks maybe Jihoon had been right to initiate a break up.

He thinks it’s amazing how quick witted Jihoon is in such stressful and undesirable circumstances. It’s admirable. He vaguely remembers Jihoon being incredibly stubborn back when they were still together, but it seems that trait of his proved to be useful.

He watches silently, chocolate mousse and strawberry tarts long forgotten, as Jihoon examines the body, eyeing the way the detective prances around the body meticulously, careful not to disturb the crime scene.

He vaguely recalls seeing Jihoon run towards the sound of the scream when the lights had flickered back on, as if it was already ingrained into his head. Perhaps it’s an instinctive response for him at this point, something normal, routine. He seemed so calm compared to the frightened faces of the guests, and Soonyoung wonders how he could shoulder on so many things at once despite only being in his early twenties.

“Um...excuse me? Jihoon-ssi?”

A tall man, ridiculously handsome and adorned in a long beige coat — Soonyoung vaguely remembers him as a butler by the name of Moon Junhui — steps inside the room tentatively, shying away from the eyes suddenly turned to him by the still shocked guests. It seems as though the lot of them have nothing better to do than to simply stand and stare.

Jihoon simply looks up and raises an eyebrow, still in the process of collecting evidence. “Can I help you?” he questions, and Soonyoung thinks he catches his eyes flashing with impatience. 

“The police will be arriving shortly,” the butler informs, sounding awkward.

“I see,” Jihoon says curtly, taking one last picture of the wound on Boo Seungkwan’s chest, before standing up. “Please gather everyone down to the main floor. The guests are to remain in this mansion until the police arrive with further notice. Failure to comply will result in dire consequences. Do not allow anyone to leave.”

 _So formal,_ Soonyoung thinks, a little amused yet simultaneously fascinated. 

He finds himself intrigued by the expression on Jihoon’s face. Overall, he looks very concentrated on the task at hand, but Soonyoung sees the flicker of excitement in his eyes, gone as quickly as it came. He supposes the reason Jihoon is able to solve cases quickly is because the detective is very passionate about his job, fierce to catch the culprit as he is desperate to feel the triumph of solving a case. Now he understands.

The guests gradually begin to file out of the room as the maids and butlers guide them out, some even creating a barricade out of their bodies to prevent anyone from coming too close to the crime scene.

As they exit the room and down to the main floor, Soonyoung takes it upon himself to walk up to Jihoon and make himself known again. Perhaps it’s still too early for a relationship, but he can try.

“Would you say this is an everyday thing of yours, Jihoon-ssi?”

His voice breaks prompts Jihoon to click his tongue at him, not quite looking away from the scene yet. Soonyoung can’t help but smile, unapologetic because he knows Jihoon can solve this case in a snap despite a little distraction. He continues his words, walking a little closer and stopping when Jihoon clicks his tongue again in warning, even holding his palm up as though he were telling a dog to stop where they are.

“It’s fascinating seeing you work, I must say,” continues Soonyoung, unperturbed. “Perhaps all those years of parting did you good.”

Jihoon looks up at him then, furrowed eyebrows immediately relaxing when they make eye contact. His facial features soften, mouth opening to speak before he clamps it shut immediately. 

“...I’m not sure whether to thank you or be thoroughly creeped out knowing you watch me work, Soonyoung-ssi,” says Jihoon, eyes glinting with delight. “Then again, however, I have told you before how much I’d love to work in this department, so I suppose I should thank you for noticing that I excel in this field of work?”

His words, laced with a tinge of playfulness, is the complete opposite of the formal, sharp tongue he’d spoken to Junhui just a few seconds ago. Soonyoung doesn’t particularly mind it. Instead he feels a little giddy inside when he realizes that Jihoon is, in fact, being informal with him as well. Perhaps he isn’t quite ready to discard the honorifics but Soonyoung knows it’s only a matter of time — a matter of cases — until he can get Jihoon to be completely comfortable with him once more, perhaps even getting to speak with him on a level deeper than friends.

Oh, one can only hope.

“Have you any relation to the victim, Jihoon?” he asks instead, knowing they should most likely focus on the task at hand rather than flirt.

“Of some sort,” answers Jihoon, turning his head to glance at the body again. “Boo Seungkwan. He’s the chairman of the BSK and was supposedly the host of this party. He has — or had — multiple businesses that have partnerships with several other companies. He is quite pleasant, if I am being honest. I’m a little shocked someone would want to kill him, and with no hesitation at that.”

“Isn’t that how things are?” Soonyoung questions, shifting his weight onto one leg and crossing his arms. “Perhaps he’s had his enemies, or rivals in the business industry. An ex, maybe?”

Jihoon shakes his head and clicks his tongue once more. “Not that I know of. As far as I know and remember, he did not seem to be in a relationship, but he was strangely infatuated with Chwe Hansol, his executive secretary. I believe the two had gotten to really close terms as of late, but now that Boo Seungkwan is in this state — ” He gestures to the dead body, “ — I’m not quite sure how he’ll take it.”

“I see,” Soonyoung murmurs, shifting a little closer to the detective. “Who else is here that worked under him?”

Jihoon pauses for a moment, eyes glazing over as he thinks. There’s that very attractive look of concentration on his face and Soonyoung can’t help but stare a little. Dear god, he looks very illegally handsome with those glasses. 

“There’s Choi Seungcheol,” Jihoon starts, snapping Soonyoung out of his reverie. “Vice chairman of BSK. He’s been Seungkwan’s friend for quite a long time as well as his business partner.”

“What about Yoon Jeonghan?”

Jihoon shakes his head. “No direct relation, but he works for Seungkwan in order to pay off his mother’s cancer treatment.”

“Hong Joshua?”

“Personal attorney. Seungkwan trusts him with his life though — ” Jihoon’s eyes flash to his, “ — no joke intended, but they had a very trusting relationship with one another.”

Soonyoung thinks of Moon Junhui next. “And what about the butler? Moon Junhui?” he questions. “He’s been with Boo Seungkwan most of his life, hasn’t he?”

Nodding in confirmation, Jihoon says, “I’m not quite sure what he knows. I’m assuming he has a lot of information considering he’s been here longer than any of us have. I suppose we’ll have to question him later.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Soonyoung agrees. “And how about Jeon Wonwoo?”

“A possibility,” Jihoon says, turning his head to look at him. “He’s been Seungkwan’s personal doctor for a few years now, but even some doctors can’t be bound by the laws and ethical practices if it’s a grudge that overpowers them. I’m not quite sure about his relationship with Seungkwan, however, but we can investigate him too.”

Heart fluttering, the word ‘we’ circulating around his brain, Soonyoung croaks, “What about Xu Minghao? He’s the vice president, isn’t he? I think I remember writing an article about him, how it was rumored that he got his position by stealing off of other employee’s achievements. Is that right?”

“We can’t say for sure, but greed can do a lot of inhumane things to people if we can’t control it,” Jihoon points out, as smart as ever.

“Good point. Who else am I missing?”

“There’s Kim Mingyu,” Jihoon states, bringing out his camera and flicking through the photos. “I’m not quite sure what his business is with Seungkwan, but it’s said that he has a sleep disorder, along with several other mental health issues. He’s going under thorough examination though. If we ever come down to questioning him, we need to remember that his words are purely testimonial evidence and may not be accurate.”

Soonyoung hums in agreement, shoving his hands in his coat’s pockets. “There’s Lee Seokmin, isn’t there? He’s the president of the BSK’s subsidiary, right? I was going through my drafts recently and there seemed to be reports that he’d been fighting with Seungkwan concerning management rights.”

“Jealousy is one of the seven deadly sins, is it not?” Jihoon asks rhetorically.

“I believe it was envy,” Soonyoung corrects, lips curling up when he sees Jihoon roll his eyes. 

“There’s Chwe Hansol, who I’ve mentioned before already,” Jihoon continues. “Executive secretary, pretty touchy feely with the chairman. It’s not usually safe to assume these things but...I have a feeling he knows the most dirt on the victim. He’ll be one of our priorities. Am I missing someone?”

“Lee Chan,” Soonyoung quips helpfully. “He’s the prosecutor for the chairman. I believe he’s interacted with Seungcheol a few times but other than that, I don’t know much about him."

Jihoon nods, seemingly digesting the information. The look in his eyes had changed, Soonyoung notices. What once was a little hostile and perhaps a little irritated is now a little more friendly, more relaxed. The reporter can practically see the gears in his head turning. He finds himself being drawn into the analytical nature of his sharp eyes, the small furrow of his eyebrows when he thinks. Jesus, he’s attractive.

“Help me with this,” Jihoon says, startling Soonyoung a little. “Two heads are better than one, is it not?”

Soonyoung gives him a toothy grin. “It is.” 

—

Unfortunately so, the inspector in charge of the crime scene had shooed them off the moment they tried to set foot near it when they came back from a short break. The decision left them no choice but to retreat to a corner of the wall and watch from afar instead. 

Soonyoung thinks it’s quite funny, seeing the irritated scowl on Jihoon’s face, and he doesn’t ever bother hiding his grin when the detective leans over to swat at him in annoyance. There’s that familiar furrow on his eyebrows again, much like there had been a few minutes earlier. He’s most likely thinking about his next plan, and knowing how quick thinking Jihoon is, Soonyoung makes sure he is more than capable of catching up with him.

“So,” he drawls, nudging their shoulders together. “What’s our plan now, Detective Lee?”

He smiles at the dry look Jihoon gives him, watching as he straightens his slumped posture to cross his arms. There was an oddly attractive show of authority in his body language, one that only intrigued Soonyoung furthermore. 

“I assume you would have caught onto my routine by now, Reporter Kwon,” says Jihoon with a smirk, looking up at him. “We are going to solve this case.”

Soonyoung blinks, tilting his head as he raises a finger to point at his chest. “We?” he repeats.

“Yes, we,” nods Jihoon. “You’re a social butterfly, are you not? You’ll certainly be useful to the case if we want to catch the culprit given your personality.”

“So I am only of use to you during these cases?”

The question didn’t feel bitter on Soonyoung’s tongue. Rather, it felt a little amusing, still holding onto that playful tinge like earlier. He didn’t think he was too much of an oblivious man to be used, but with the way the detective had worded it, he couldn’t think of anything clever to say. Jihoon, however, didn’t seem to mean any harm, for he offered another, more clear explanation of what he wanted to say.

“Well,” Jihoon drawls, a smirk curling at the ends of his lips. “Of course you’ll have more uses for me later, but for now, you’ll be treated as my partner for this case. You have obviously been acquainted with our possible suspects before, so I am holding onto that.”

“Partners?” Soonyoung perks up at that. “As in, partners in crime?”

There’s a glint in Jihoon’s eyes when he nods, something akin to slyness coiling deep into his brown orbs. Perhaps Soonyoung is in a euphoric state of shock because one: he’s working with Jihoon, and two: he’s working with _the_ Lee Jihoon. Other rookie detectives would have to climb mountains for such an opportunity but here Soonyoung is, getting said opportunity handed to him on a silver platter. Perhaps fate is on his side after all.

Admittedly, okay, maybe getting involved in murder cases isn’t really something Soonyoung would do on a daily basis like Jihoon does, but even he can’t deny that he’s a little curious. He’s only gotten snippets of Jihoon’s work ethic back when they were still rooming with each other in university, and he thinks this is his chance to finally connect with him on a level deeper again. Perhaps the sudden impulse inside him to agree to Jihoon’s offer is a result of missing him for all those years they’ve been away from each other.

Jihoon is an interesting person for sure. He’s never afraid to speak his thoughts but he knows how to control himself when the situation calls for it. He’s quiet and concentrated for the most part, only talking when he’s set on the right track. Soonyoung wants to see him in action and this time, stay with him during the whole process of the case from beginning to end. He has no doubts that Jihoon is, inarguably, the best of the best out there, and he would like to see what exactly Jihoon has that makes him such a good detective.

“You could put it like that,” Jihoon says. “It’s something we’ve been before, no? The Howoo combo, that’s what you’ve said?”

Soonyoung beams at that, heart jumping wildly in his chest at the name. The Howoo combo, a ridiculous yet catchy name he’d come up with when he was studying dance while Jihoon took up music production. They worked well together then, with Jihoon composing songs for Soonyoung to dance to, and Soonyoung dancing to Jihoon’s songs. They could’ve made it work then, but it seemed it wasn’t to their calling.

There’s something towards the end of Jihoon’s voice — a tune, Soonyoung thinks — a tone akin to that of _I’m not finished yet._ He doesn’t say anything else, however, and the reporter is left staring at the back of his head when Jihoon beckons him to follow along with two fingers. 

Soonyoung silently follows his orders and trails behind him, feeling his heart thump with excitement. As a futile attempt to level out his eagerness, he tries to create his own theory as to what could’ve possibly happened when the lights flickered out.

Obviously, the killer would have to have been someone close to Boo Seungkwan, or someone working for him, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to get into the party in the first place. Perhaps the culprit held a personal grudge against the chairman. For what, they have yet to find out. When the lights flickered out, the killer took their chance and impaled the knife right into Seungkwan’s chest, then made their swift escape, or perhaps had already blended into the crowd long ago, before the lights flickered out. There had been no weapon left behind the crime scene; the culprit had been smart enough not to leave it behind. 

So perhaps the culprit is still mingling about down in the main floor, but the both of them have yet to find out who they are.

—

After a few long hours of going about and questioning the possible suspects, it all comes down to three. 

As they walk towards them, they were coldly greeted by their rather unwelcoming gazes. They fortunately don’t seem to recognize who Jihoon is, but they immediately recognize Soonyoung as the “nosy reporter” from their previous meetings, who wasn’t given a very warm welcome either. 

The man who holds a wine class delicately in his hand stood rather leisurely, one hand shoved in his pocket, was the vice president — Xu Minghao. Beside him, cleaning his glasses against the bottom of his blazer ever so sophisticatedly, is Jeon Wonwoo. The man with noticeably foreign features is none other than Chwe Hansol, Seungkwan’s executive secretary.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Jihoon speaks up upon approaching, offering a sympathetic smile that Soonyoung immediately recognized to be make-believe.

“Don’t be,” Wonwoo says, taking his hand out of his pocket to wave it around. “It was coming sooner or later.”

“Pardon me?”

Wonwoo shakes his head. “Forget it. If I may ask, who are you again?”

Soonyoung observes him quietly, gearing up his brain capacity to take mental notes for what’s about to happen. He’s exhausted, and frankly, he wants to get this case done and over with so he can go home and sleep his worries away, or perhaps drive Jihoon home and utilize that time to the best of his abilities. 

He can see that Wonwoo is incredible in creating a facade for himself, but where his face doesn’t give anything away, his eyes are honest, sincere.

“I was hired by Chairman Boo Seungkwan to investigate a death threat he’d recently received,” explains Jihoon. “The threat seemed credible from the looks of things.” _Sarcasm._ “I have been asked by the inspector to help and look for clues.”

Soonyoung knows that’s not true. They’d both been shrugged off by the inspector as soon as they stepped foot near the crime scene. It seems, however, that the three suspects in question can’t see through Jihoon’s tight smile, and it makes the reporter wonder just how long the detective has been training to have mastered such a stoic face. If he recalls correctly, Jihoon has a resting bitch face anyway.

“Well, we can’t really stop you, can we?” Minghao speaks up, blunt with a straight face. Compared to Wonwoo, his voice is a lot more cold, more calculative, but Soonyoung thinks he catches the way his fingers twitch against the wine glass he’s holding ever so slightly.

“I’d like to know what your relationship is with the chairman,” informs Jihoon. “Did anything, or anyone, come to mind when you saw the body? A person who would backstab the chairman like that?”

“Simply unthinkable,” Minghao says with a shake of his head. “Many people in the business adored Boo Seungkwan. It simply doesn’t make sense for someone to want him dead.”

“Sentiments were never your strong point, Minghao,” Wonwoo says with a roll of his eyes. “Obviously in such a competitive business, Seungkwan was bound to have rivals who envy him anyway. You are looking at his enemy already.” 

He gestures to Minghao, who can only stare at him in disbelief while Hansol quietly watches from beside them. Jihoon raises an eyebrow at the outing, expression filled with confusion. He doesn’t even bother trying to hide his curiosity, perhaps wondering why Wonwoo could easily out Minghao. 

Seeing his expression, Wonwoo goes on to explain the situation.

“Minghao was supposed to be promoted to vice chairman a few months ago, but Seungkwan appointed Seungcheol as the vice chairman instead. If you ask me, however, I would like to say that Minghao is more capable of the job than Seungcheol is,” he explains.

“Oh, that must’ve been frustrating,” Soonyoung utters, cocking his head to the side as he takes mental notes. It seems like a probable enough reason. Beside him, Jihoon nods his head and does a once over at Minghao, who shifts nervously in his place.

“It was,” Minghao admits, then waves a hand around defensively. “But I’ve already sorted everything out with Seungkwan before his death. I’ve wanted to become a chairman of sorts and he knew that. He promised to promote me next year as the chairman instead. Would it be reasonable of me to kill him when he made such a promise? I don’t think so.”

“Wait, chairman?” Jihoon questions, glancing at Hansol. “I don’t recall Seungkwan saying he was planning to retire.”

It seems as though Wonwoo had the exact same thoughts, for he gave Hansol a suspicious raise of his eyebrow. From what Soonyoung could tell, it seems as though neither Wonwoo or Hansol knew about any plans of retirement and were thrown off by the sudden news.

“That’s what he told me,” says Minghao affirmatively. “He said he was tired of the shipping business and wanted to put his attention on opening a new one that focuses on an entirely different country, so he asked if I wanted to take over BSK.”

“How have I never heard of this?” Wonwoo questions, sounding displeased. He raises his voice just enough to emphasize the disbelief.

In contrast to Wonwoo’s reaction, Hansol looks rather dejected having not known this information as Seungkwan’s executive secretary. He lets out a quiet sigh and subtly shifts away from the four men, but Jihoon’s sharp, calculative eyes catch the small movement anyway. Suddenly something feels off about Chwe Hansol.

“He hadn’t made plans to tell anyone with everything going on, but…” Minghao trails off, casting a glance towards Soonyoung.

Raising an eyebrow, Soonyoung juts his chin out slightly to prompt the vice president to speak up.

“I would’ve assumed Soonyoung knew something about it,” continues Minghao. “He’s been with Seungkwan long enough to know what’s been going on, perhaps even closer to him than any one of us here.”

Jihoon’s eyes move from Hansol to Soonyoung, seemingly intrigued by what the latter of the two has to say for himself. With a question of confirmation, Soonyoung nods his head.

“I’ve worked with Seungkwan when he needed someone to report his latest shippings,” Soonyoung affirms. “I do recall him saying something about focusing on a new sector, but — ”

“What do you lot think you’re doing?!”

The loud exclamation of the inspector interrupts Soonyoung before he can reveal what had happened, and Jihoon nearly throws his hands up in frustration. As the intruder walks over to them, Soonyoung can vaguely feel the ghostly sensation of the inspector’s aura surrounding them, angry as he stalks up to the five men. Jihoon seems to be debating whether or not to walk away and ignore him, but ultimately decides against his decision at the last minute.

“I told you two to scram, didn’t I?!” the inspector barks.

As the inspector continues lecturing — unwelcomed, Soonyoung would say — he notices that Jihoon is hardly listening to a word he’s saying. His eyes are glazed over, looking distant, mind seemingly occupied with finding out ways to continue solving the case without this stupid inspector on their asses. 

“Sir, we were not interfering with the crime scene — ” he tries to defend, but the inspector keeps on rambling on. Jihoon looks like he’s about to slap him and honestly, Soonyoung would pay to see that, but they have a task at hand.

“Excuse me, sir,” he says as politely as he can.

The inspector turns to him with a scowl, looking more irritated now that he’s been interrupted from his rant. Soonyoung tries not to feel too satisfied when he sees Jihoon sigh in relief.

“And what do you want?” the inspector says rudely.

Soonyoung doesn’t really see the need to be insulted at the inspector’s tone of voice. He doesn’t want to make the situation bigger and take away from what they’re supposed to be focusing on in the first place. Instead, he calmly places himself between the inspector and Jihoon, offering a smile that isn’t very friendly. It’s more stiff, more intimidating. Fortunately, the inspector seems a bit concerned, even straightening up his slouched posture as he looks directly into Soonyoung’s sharp eyes.

“It is very unprofessional of you to be speaking like this to my friend,” speaks Soonyoung, a small hesitance leaking into his words at the word ‘friend.’ “I would appreciate it if you apologize to him since he was only trying to help. If you decide to create a bigger commotion, I will not hesitate to speak to your superiors about your behavior.”

The inspector stares at him for a moment, then clicks his tongue and turns on his heel. “Whatever,” he says snottily. “I better not see you kids interfering with our work.”

With that, he walks away and leaves the five of them alone. 

Jihoon breathes out a sigh of relief and offers Soonyoung a smile of gratitude, then turns over to glance at the three suspects, hoping the unwelcomed interaction with the inspector hadn’t affected their willingness to answer more questions. It did, however. With a dismissal wave of his hand, Minghao walked away with Wonwoo and Hansol sticking to him like glue.

Jihoon groans and crosses his arms, looking peeved as he whips his head back around to make a face at the unsuspecting inspector. Soonyoung chuckles a little at his behavior, finding his reaction cute.

“It seems we still have a case to solve, Jihoon-ssi,” he says obviously.

Jihoon rolls his eyes, still seeming annoyed. “How unfortunate,” he deadpans. A few moments pass, then his eyes lighten up. “But...I think I may have an idea where the weapon is.”

Soonyoung raises an eyebrow. Sure, Jihoon may be the best of the best detectives out there, but there were hardly any leads to the location of the murder weapon. How could he know with so little evidence?

“Alright. Shoot.”

Jihoon goes on to give a brief yet somehow convincing theory on where the weapon could be, listing down a possible option of how it could have been disposed after the murder and why it was possible to have no trace of it at the scene of the crime or the culprit themselves. He goes on to explain his views of a plausible disposal method and Soonyoung nods at it all, rather impressed with his ideas from what little evidence they had from the crime scene.

“But that would mean you wouldn’t be able to tie the culprit to the crime because we don’t have that evidence,” he points out.

Jihoon sighs and rubs a hand against his face. “Exactly,” he says. “Theories are easy to make up and believe but if I don’t have the evidence to tie it all together, I can’t prove the culprit even if we have suspects. Anyway, I still don’t have the information I’m looking for with the three suspects we were supposed to be questioning.”

Soonyoung observes how distressed he looks, obvious by the way his eyebrows are pinched together, more strands of his hair falling out of place as he runs his fingers through it. Perhaps solving a case isn’t merely just a job of his.

“Wait,” Jihoon says, interrupting his thoughts. “What were you going to say about Seungkwan’s shipping reports? Before the inspector came and interrupted.”

“Oh, that?” Soonyoung questions in acknowledgement. “I was going to say that I’ve worked with Seungkwan when he needed someone to report on his latest shippings. I remember him saying he wished to work on a new sector, but he didn’t mention anything about wishing to retire from his position as the chairman and choosing Minghao as the new chairman.”

Jihoon hums thoughtfully. “So Minghao could be lying. What about the executive secretary?”

“Hansol?”

Jihoon nods. “Do you know anything about him and his relationship with the chairman? Anything will do.” 

“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Soonyoung says apologetically.

Jihoon only sighs. “Maybe we can try for Minghao again. He didn’t seem cooperative but he’s our closest lead so far.”

“If you’d like, I can ask Wonwoo and Hansol for you,” Soonyoung offers, just to ease the load off the detective’s shoulders.

After some careful thought, Jihoon agrees, reiterating Soonyoung’s status as a social butterfly with a light laugh. After the reporter had been lectured on which questions to ask and what answers he should be receiving — all of which he had a hard time mentally keeping — Soonyoung sets off to find the two men while Jihoon went to look for Minghao.

—

Soonyoung leaves after thanking both Wonwoo and Hansol — both of whom he’d just finished playing 20 questions with — before walking away to meet up with Jihoon. Both suspects had an alibi so he personally concluded — _which is quite dangerous_ — that they were not responsible for the murder.

As he walks back up the foyer, he finds himself fiddling with his phone, searching up the name ‘Lee Jihoon’ without much thought. As he scrolls, he finds that there are numerous articles written about him, how he solved numerous cases in Busan and was nicknamed ‘Busan Oracle.’ There’s another article too, speaking specifically on how Jihoon also originally started out as a music producer but found that being in the music industry was too exhausting for him, so he’d opted to follow the path of becoming a detective, and a _damn_ good one at that.

It makes Soonyoung wonder why Jihoon had opted for a career equally exhausting, if not more, as being a music producer. He can’t help but ponder over the thought for a while because surely, being a detective is a lot more difficult than it is to simply create music, is it not? He can’t quite understand Jihoon’s decision in that aspect, but that’s in the past now and he can’t do anything about it.

While others may think otherwise, Jihoon is quite similar to that of fire. He’s passionate and driven towards his goal of solving a mystery, determined by the ghostly feeling of triumph he must feel when a case is solved. Soonyoung thinks he’s quite the opposite, the ice to Jihoon’s fire, just a mere reporter looking for adventure and excitement to transfer onto paper and ink. Although they may be one in the same in this industry, they are complete opposites.

A hand on his arm snaps him out of his thoughts and he looks up. Beside him is Jihoon, looking expectantly at him as though he’s waiting for a pleasing reply. He seems to be less distressed than before, most likely having been able to pry information from the suspects he’d been trying to interview. How he managed to do it, Soonyoung doesn’t think he wants to know. It seems, however, that he’s still unpleased about the lack of evidence they still have yet to retrieve.

“Minghao doesn’t have an alibi during the estimated time of death from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.,” he begins. “He’s said to have gone out the balcony for some fresh air and a glass of whine. I’ve questioned some guests and they’ve confirmed that he did leave the room at the time, but no one knew why he was at the balcony or what he was doing. Some of them have also mentioned that Minghao and Wonwoo would sometimes fight — most of them not too serious — and that Hansol may have had an affair with Seungkwan like we suspected. But if that’s the case, then…”

He trails off into mumbles that Soonyoung can’t quite understand, so he calls his name out a few times to get him to pay attention again. Jihoon blinks, eyes no longer glazed over, an apology slipping from his lips before an excited smile curls on his lips as he looks up at him.

“So...Wonwoo and Hansol,” Soonyoung reiterates. “What did they tell you?”

It sets Jihoon off into rambles again and Soonyoung can’t help but be endeared by his obvious enthusiasm. Jihoon gives him a detailed summary of what he was told by both suspects, about Hansol’s affair with Seungkwan and the rocky relationship between him and Wonwoo. He trails off again, eyes glazing over as his words come to a stutter, then he falls quiet. It’s then can Soonyoung conclude that Jihoon has come to a verdict, but there is still no physical evidence to prove the murder had been committed by any of the suspects. The only thing they’re clinging onto is the circumstantial and testimonial evidence given to them from personal viewpoints involved.

“We’re right here...but yet…” he trails off, the furrow between his eyebrows coming back.

“Wouldn’t utilizing a luminol test be beneficial for us?” Soonyoung questions.

A luminol test — it would reveal any traces of blood on the culprit’s clothing despite having been washed away. Perhaps there’s still some blood splatter on the culprit when they stabbed Seungkwan’s chest.

“He could have changed his clothes. It’s his home after all.”

Jihoon sighs, then perks up shortly after, his wide eyes indicating that he was slowly becoming aware of a possible solution. His eyes dart around the room for a moment before he rushes off towards one of the butlers when he caught sight of him. 

Soonyoung, a little thrown off guard by the sudden bolting, could only watch as Jihoon requests something from the butler. Deciding to let Jihoon — hopefully — solve the case, he waits and opts to dig in for the chocolate mousse he’d forgotten about earlier.

—

It’s a little late when Jihoon finally returns with a satisfied smirk on his face that could only mean he had found what he was looking for. He approaches the grumpy inspector from earlier, who was talking to Minghao, Wonwoo, and Hansol with a piece of cloth held tightly in his hand that was laced with a handkerchief.

“I have figured out the culprit,” he declares.

Soonyoung listens in fascination as Jihoon presents his evidence, confidently going over each step of his thinking with an attractive confidence. The inspector — whose mouth is open to protest — eventually dies out once he listens to the scenario Jihoon’s drawing out for them. The detective reveals that the culprit most likely used the blade of a cutter knife with tissue paper wrapped securely around the bottom to act as a holder and that when the crime was over, the killer somehow broke the blade into many pieces and — with the tissue paper — flushed it down the toilet before fleeing the scene. 

Soonyoung watches as Jihoon directs an accusing finger towards Minghao, announcing him to be the killer who they were looking for.

“You have no proof!” Minghao squawks. “Have you gone crazy?!”

“Proof?” Jihoon mocks with a crude grin. “I have the proof right here.”

He holds up the cloth in his hand and carefully takes the other end of it to hold it out, revealing a bloodied white shirt. Minghao’s face pales the moment he sees it, and the inspector demands where Jihoon had gotten it from, coming back to his barking.

“Under Minghao’s desk in a compartment,” Jihoon answers, unperturbed. “Unfortunate of you. I would have never found it if it wasn’t for this.”

Soonyoung sees his hand absentmindedly touching the back of his head before he redirects his attention to Minghao, who seems visibly flustered by the discovery. His head hangs low, hand around his wine glass tightening considerably that his knuckles turn white.

“Did you actually kill Seungkwan just because he wouldn’t promote you to vice chairman?” Wonwoo asks in disgust, though the tone in his voice is quite the opposite of his expression.

“It was only the beginning,” Minghao scoffs, a lazy grin on his lips as the police arrived to handcuff him not too long after. “Seungkwan-ssi has always criticized the way I work for him, never appreciated what I did and always told me off for things I was never responsible for in the first place. Then he had the audacity to promote Seungcheol, of all people, as the vice chairman? That is absurd!”

“Sir, you have the right to remain silent,” the police handcuffing him speaks up.

“Take him to the car,” the inspector instructs. “We can debrief later.”

—

Jihoon is practically over the moon as he smiles from ear to ear. The grumpy inspector from earlier seemed to have a change of heart, thanking him and apologizing for the commotion he’d caused earlier. Perhaps the recognition from the inspector is just as victorious as being able to solve another case, Soonyoung assumes.

“How’s your head, Jihoon?”

“It’s alright,” Jihoon answers, instinctively reaching up for the back of his head. “I got so excited finding the evidence that I bumped my head under the desk and knocked over all the pens and pen holders, then I so happened to find blood on my hand when I checked so I knew my hunch was correct.”

Soonyoung chuckles a little. “Are you heading home?”

Jihoon nods silently. 

Glancing at the time on his phone, Soonyoung offers, “It’s really late. Do you want me to give you a ride home?”

Jihoon waves him off, looking suddenly bashful. “You really don’t have to. I can manage — ”

“I insist.”

The ride home is quiet, but not completely silent. They make use of their time together by talking about all the boring things you usually ask when you first get to know someone. The only difference is, they’re getting to know each other _again_ — catching up on the things they’ve missed out on. Soonyoung asks him how the states are and if it was everything he imagined it to be, but Jihoon only snorts and shakes his head.

“The states are a mess,” the detective reveals. “The president sucks but the people there are overall friendly. I like South Korea better so I’ll be staying here for good. It was a nice experience while it lasted but...there are some things and some people here that make me feel more at home.”

There’s a sparkle in his eyes when he says the last part, and Soonyoung feels something lock tight in his throat, hands clamming up where they rest on the steering wheel. Maybe this is a sign from fate to shoot his shot now while he can.

“I see,” is what comes out of his mouth instead, and he almost slaps himself. “That’s good.”

“You can stop here.”

Jihoon’s voice brings him back from his thoughts as he requests him to pull over. Soonyoung obeys when he sees the large apartment of the detective’s, and parks right up against the curb.

“Good work today, Soonyoung,” Jihoon praises, and Soonyoung’s heart flutters. “Another successful case thanks to the Howoo duo, yes? Thank you...it was nice catching up again.”

Watching as Jihoon opens the door to make his way out, Soonyoung fumbles with his phone for a moment and opens it quickly to the contacts app, calling out to Jihoon before he can close the door. The detective leans down curiously, his eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Let’s — Maybe — Maybe we can catch up some more?” Soonyoung asks, stumbling over his words for a moment. “I mean...maybe, if you want...we can — we can try again? Our, um, relationship, I mean. I know that’s a little less thrilling than solving a case, but I promise I’ll make it exciting for you.” He pauses, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “I mean...if — if you’re still single, of course.”

Jihoon stares at his phone for a moment, then chuckles at his words. Reaching out, he takes Soonyoung’s phone in his hand and inputs his digits into the contact information, saving his name under ‘Ji-Ji ♡’.

“The only person who’s had the privilege of stealing my heart is my high school sweetheart,” teases Jihoon. “I’ll give you a shot again then, Reporter Kwon.”

Soonyoung breathes out a sigh of relief, a smile etching onto his face as he takes his phone back from Jihoon’s outstretched hand. Eagerness fills his chest as the detective waves at him and closes the door. He watches as the detective opens the gate towards his apartment, and with one last wave and a wink, he disappears behind the wall.

Soonyoung sinks in the driver’s seat for a minute, a smile permanently plastered on his face as he stares at the contact name on his phone. His fingers hover over the ‘h’ and ‘i’ keys for a moment, heart racing as he recalls all the events that occurred tonight.

Deciding against it, wanting to get home before it becomes too late, Soonyoung pulls away from the curb and drives back home with eyes twinkling as bright as the stars above.

**Author's Note:**

> Before you ask, no — this is not my actual guess to who the true culprit is in GoSe. (Although it would be pretty awesome if Minghao was actually the culprit.) I just wrote this because the reporter and detective trope was something new for me, and a lot of you on my twt really seemed to crave the idea of this, so voila!
> 
> All the information in the beginning when Soonyoung and Jihoon first started talking was taken from GoSe and a few references I found, so I tried to make their roles here as close to the GoSe episode as possible. I did not have any brain cells to make everyone a suspect, nor did I have the brain power to connect the dots, and I did not have the will or motivation to write a full plot, so I decided to be simple and go with Wonwoo, Minghao, and Hansol :>
> 
> Anyway, I really wanted to add Seungkwan here in some way because he’s not in the GoSe episode ;; and when I rewatched it, the members said he was supposed to be the chairman, so I put his role as the chairman in this fic. (Do note that I have no idea what a chairman, vice chairman, etc. actually does. I just wrote it based on the information from the episode :>)
> 
> Obviously most of the steps for taking care of a crime scene aren’t very realistic here. I was really only going from my knowledge and what I’ve learned from my forensics class. There’s a lot more complicated things to add in order to make it more realistic, but for the sake of the word count and my dead brain cells, I decided not to write anything too confusing ><
> 
> I can’t believe it’s October already. Remember to gear up and collect votes for comeback! I’m literally sitting on the edge of my seat because Pledis still hasn’t announced anything yet and they haven’t dropped any teasers. I keep clowning myself thinking the boys are dropping spoilers, but they’re known to do that anyway so I guess it’s okay TT.TT If we get a dark comeback again because it’s October, I’m gonna scream, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be freshteen again. Hopefully they drop only the digital first like HIT for An Ode because we’re broke ;; I can’t wait to break more records!
> 
> Anyway, who do you guys suspect is the culprit in GoSe? Who did you guys first suspect was the culprit in this fic?
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mistehri)  
> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.qa/mistehri)
> 
> As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading! ❤


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